If they’re so healthy, why have I never heard of them before?
That’s a great question and one we would love to tell the whole world about. That’s the problem with Aronia, few people know what they are or that they exist. That’s why we call them The Healthiest Berry You’ve Never Heard Of.
Aronia berries have been terribly slow to catch on. Aronia melanocarpa, also known as black chokeberry, is a bush grown in areas with a cold season. They have only been grown commercially for about 15 years in the United States. The first plantation of US Aronia berries was begun in Iowa. Efforts for widespread Aronia expansion have fallen due to lack of funding and appropriate marketing.
The second reason you don’t know what they are is because they are not a “hand fruit”. Aronia berries have a dry, astringent taste and are not wildly popular alone. Think of their flavor much as a tart green apple or a dry wine. Although folks who do not eat a lot of sugar really enjoy them straight off the bush or out of the freezer. Timing of harvest and fertilization makes a big difference in the flavor of the berries as we have learned through the years.
Aronia berries are extremely healthy and have recently been named a superfood to watch.